


Sleepover

by stepsofthepalace



Series: Nightmares and Not-Dates [2]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed, companion piece to She Keeps Me Warm, from Kim's POV, mostly just focuses on Trini and Kim though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-18 13:19:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10617714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepsofthepalace/pseuds/stepsofthepalace
Summary: Kimberly has to learn to deal with her growing feelings for her best friend.Companion fic for "She Keeps Me Warm", from Kimberly's POV.You don't have to have read that one to read this one though.Fic and Chapter titles are from Hayley Kiyoko's "Sleepover".





	1. Sleeping Here Right Next To Me

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't stop thinking about what was going on in Kim's head while I wrote my first fic, so I felt it necessary to delve into it. Hope you guys like it!

Kimberly woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, pulled out of her dream.  She sat up, slightly disoriented and confused about what woke her until she heard it again.  A small whimper coming from the floor next to her bed.  Trini was thrashing around in her sleep, her sleeping bag half torn off, and tears were running freely down her face.  

“No, no, please,” Trini cried quietly, her hands coming up near her throat as if she were being choked.

Kimberly scrambled off the bed and to Trini’s side.  She placed a hand on Trini’s shoulder, shaking her gently in an effort to rouse her, but this only seemed to make it worse.  Trini’s thrashing became more violent as she cried out in pain.

“Trini... Trini? Trini, it’s okay, you’re okay,” Kim kept shaking her, trying to break her out of the nightmare, but it wasn’t working. “Trini,” Kim tried shaking even harder, getting desperate to wake her friend, “Trini! TRINI!”

At her last shout, Trini’s eyes flew open and she sat up swiftly.  Kimberly barely had time to move her head and avoid a collision.  Trini started looking around frantically and Kimberly placed a hand lightly on Trini’s arm, hoping it might help calm her down.  Trini jerked away from the touch, whipping her head around to find the source.  She had a panicked look in her eyes, her breathing heavy and ragged, and it seemed to take her a second to recognize Kimberly.  

“Trini,” Kimberly reached out to grip Trini’s shoulder, speaking softly, “You’re okay. Everything’s okay, you’re safe,” Trini nodded slightly in response, and Kimberly moved her other hand to grab Trini’s, lacing their fingers together.  She squeezed her hand gently, and asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Trini didn’t say anything at first, as she wiped away her tears with her free hand.  When she looked up, Kimberly gave her an encouraging smile as she ran her thumb over Trini’s knuckles in what she hoped would be a comforting gesture.  Trini closed her eyes tightly, trembling as she took a deep breath.

“It…” Trini paused for a second to take another shaky breath, “It was Rita.  She found me, again.  She was gonna kill me.”  Tears began to spill down Trini’s cheeks again as Kimberly pulled her into a hug.

“Oh god Trin, I’m so sorry.”

Trini clung tightly to her as she sobbed violently, and Kimberly felt tears pricking at the corners of her own eyes.  She had never seen Trini look so small.

“It’s okay, you’re okay,” she found herself whispering softly as she combed her fingers through Trini’s hair, “you’re here, you’re safe.”  She repeated the words several times until she felt Trini start to calm down.  Trini began to pull away slightly, but Kimberly’s hold didn’t let her get very far.

“I ruined your shirt,” she heard Trini whisper, staring at Kimberly’s shoulder.  Kimberly looked down to see what she was referring to, noticing a wet spot from where Trini had been crying.  She couldn’t help but roll her eyes slightly at Trini for considering that to be ‘ruined’.  The sleeping bag was ruined, her shirt on the other hand was just fine.

“Don’t worry about it,” she laughed softly, “It’s just water.”

“Thanks Kim,” Trini looked up at her, giving her a small smile.  
“Of course Trin. I’m here for you. Always.”

Kimberly squeezed Trini’s shoulder, before getting up and back into her bed.  She patted the spot next to her, inviting Trini up.  There was no way she would make her sleep alone after that, especially in a torn up sleeping bag on the floor.  Trini didn’t immediately react, continuing to stare at Kim with her brows furrowed slightly in confusion.  Kimberly decided to make her offer a bit more obvious.

“You’re going to sleep here tonight,” it seemed a little bossy to say it that way, but Kimberly knew that Trini could be stubborn as hell and would probably just stay put if given too much of an out.

Trini seemed hesitant, standing up slowly and curling up on the far edge of the bed.  Kimberly rolled her eyes, grabbing Trini around the waist and pulling her close.  She ignored the way her cheeks warmed and her heart sped up.  This wasn’t about her stupid little crush on her best friend, this was about Trini and making sure that she was okay.

“You know I’m not much of a cuddler,” she heard Trini grumble, and Kimberly almost laughed at how bad of a lie that was.  Trini always pretended like she didn’t need people, but when given the chance, she latched on like a koala.  She got piggy-backs from Zack all the time and always found someone to snuggle up to during group movie nights.  It always made Kimberly feel kind of special when she was the one Trini chose.

“Sure you’re not,” Kimberly replied sleepily, tugging Trini ever so slightly closer.  After a few minutes, she could tell Trini had fallen asleep, her breaths deep and even.  She pulled her hand back from Trini’s waist and began combing softly through her hair.  Kimberly had also had her fair share of nightmares since Rita’s attack, but she knew Trini had the worst of it.  She was the only one who had been forced to face Rita alone.  Kimberly watched over her friend protectively, thinking in her half-asleep state that she would be able to keep away any more bad dreams that might come Trini’s way.


	2. I Don't Wanna Think About It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kim gets pushed off the bed and they have a not-date at Krispy Kreme.

“Ow, what the hell,” Kimberly grumbled, rubbing the back of her head where it had hit the hardwood.  She definitely hadn’t been sleeping on the floor, so how the hell did she get here?  She looked up in a slight daze and noticed Trini sitting on the bed next to where Kimberly  _ should _ have been, and she looked vaguely guilty.  She didn’t... Did she?  It made more sense than Kimberly simply falling out of bed.  She hadn’t done that since that one time when she was ten.

“Did you,” Kimberly narrowed her eyes at Trini, who looked away immediately after catching her gaze.  She was clearly the culprit, “Did you  _ push  _ me?”

“It…” Trini stumbled slightly over her words, so maybe this wasn’t a premeditated attack, ‘It was an act of revenge.”

“Revenge for  _ what _ ?” Kimberly wracked her brain trying to think of what she’d done.  Was it because she took the last slice of pizza during their group movie night last night?  Or maybe because she had managed to best her during training on Friday?   _ “Ugh,”  _ she thought,  _ “It is way too early to have to do this much thinking.” _

“Revenge for dragging me off the cliff,” Trini finally replied.

“For dragging you…?” Had she recently dragged Trini off a cliff?  No.  No, it was only that one time.  Wait, she couldn’t mean… “I said I was  _ sorry. _ ”

“Yeah, you said you were sorry  _ before _ dragging me off a cliff to my certain doom.” Trini crossed her arms.

“Oh my god, you knew it was perfectly safe!” Kimberly couldn’t believe she was still bringing this up, “I mean at least it was perfectly safe for  _ us _ . You were just being difficult,” and apparently she still was, “Besides, that was like two months ago! Why wait until  _ now _ to enact your ‘revenge’?”

“Element of surprise?”

“You are unbelievable,” Kimberly rolled her eyes for effect.  She really didn’t buy Trini’s story, but she was honestly too tired to really question it.

“But that’s why you love me,” Trini replied with a slight baby voice, pouting and batting her eyelashes innocently.

“Yeah, sure,  _ that’s  _ why.” Shoot, that wasn’t too obvious, right?  Kimberly needed to stop saying shit like that if she didn’t want her best friend to find out about her stupid crush.  She stood up, moving quickly to her dresser to mask the slight pink tinge that had appeared on her cheeks, and started to pull clothes out of the drawer. “You wanna go to Krispy Kreme for breakfast? It just opened back up and I’ve been weirdly craving donuts.” 

“Yeah, sure,” came Trini’s reply as she grabbed her own clothes out of her overnight bag.

Without thinking about it, Kimberly pulled her sleep shirt off and put on a bralette.  As she grabbed her tank top, she heard a small squeak from behind her.  Thinking Trini had managed to hurt herself or something, she turned to look just in time to catch Trini rushing through the bedroom door.  She watched in confusion as Trini bolted, clearly using her enhanced speed to make it to the bathroom down the hall in about two seconds, slamming the door behind her.  Weird.  Had Kimberly said something to upset her?  She looked down to where she was still holding her tank top.  Maybe Trini had figured out that she had a crush and was uncomfortable with Kim changing in front of her.  Or maybe she just really had to pee?  Kimberly really hoped it was the latter.

As Kimberly slipped on her shirt, her phone lit up with a group text from Jason, responses from Billy and Zack following close behind.

 

**_Jason (8:13 AM)_ **

Is everyone up for training around 10am today?

 

**_Billy (8:14 AM)_ **

That time works for me.

 

**_Zack (8:14 AM)_ **

Im down

 

Kimberly wasn’t sure if Trini had her phone with he in the bathroom, so she answered for both of them.

 

**_Kimberly (8:16 AM)_ **

Trini and i will be there :)

 

Kimberly put her phone down and finished getting dressed.  She peered down the hallway to see the bathroom door still shut, so she went to her parents bathroom to finish getting ready, stealing a spare toothbrush from her mom’s cabinet.  When she came back down the hall, the door was still shut.  Now she was actually getting a little worried.  Trini was not usually one to take a long time to get ready.  Was something wrong?  She knocked gently.

“Trin, are you okay? You’ve been in there a while.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Almost finished.” 

“Okay, well hurry up. Jason just texted that he wants to do some training around ten, so we have to move quickly if you still want to get breakfast.”

“Alright.”

Kimberly walked back to her room, picking up her bag and slipping on her sneakers.  Since Trini was still finishing up, she decided to grab her bag and shoes as well and headed back to wait by the bathroom door.  After another minute, the door swung open and Trini made her way out.

“Ready to go?” Kimberly asked, handing Trini her shoes and backpack.  She gave her a quick once over to make sure she was okay.  She looked fine, though her cheeks were slightly red.  Oh god, had she been crying?  Had Kimberly said something or done something to make her cry?  Trini finished tying her converse and stood up, cutting off Kimberly’s train of thought.  She considered asking what was wrong, but knew she would likely be met with silence or a noncommittal response.  Trini liked to tell people things on her own time.  So instead, Kimberly just adjusted her purse on her shoulder and led the way down the stairs.

 

***

 

“I did lots of martial arts as a kid, but when I was like twelve, my mom started dragging me to yoga classes instead for ‘mother-daughter bonding time’,” Trini said, spearing another piece of their shared donut, “I think she just didn’t like me doing what she thought was a ‘boy’s activity’.”

“For some reason I can’t imagine you doing yoga,” Kimberly replied with a slight laugh, cutting off her own piece.

“Yeah, I actually like it. Stopped taking classes though. I practice up by the mines instead.  I need my own music, that new age shit they play makes me want to pull my hair out.” 

“And death metal is more calming?” Kimberly asked with a slight eyebrow raise.

“Yep.” Trini popped another piece of donut into her mouth, before adding, “Don’t have much time for it anymore though, what with all the training Jason’s been scheduling.”

“He’s probably just still on edge from the attack and everything.  I’m sure he’ll let up on the crazy training schedule soon.”

“Hope so.  My parents have started asking what I’m doing after school so much, and I’m not sure if they’ll believe that I’m on a sports team. Or worse, they might want to attend games.”

“Did I ever tell you Jason and I used to take Karate together?”  Kimberly mused after a slight pause, cutting herself off another piece of the donut.

“You took Karate?” Trini quirked an eyebrow in surprise.

“I only did it for a year in fourth grade.  I liked it, but all my friends started taking gymnastics so I switched.” Sometimes Kimberly wished that she had stuck with martial arts, especially recently, as previous training beyond cheerleading would probably have proven helpful in their fight against Rita. “I honestly don’t think Jason even remembers that we took it together, not that he’d probably want to remember. He wet his pants one day in class.” She chuckled softly at the memory.

“No way!” Trini laughed. 

“Oh my god, don’t ever tell him I told you that!” Kimberly said hurriedly.  Telling Trini about that could easily have been a bad idea, “He would probably actually kill me.”  Kimberly’s face flushed slightly as she shoved another bite of donut in her mouth.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.  Can’t promise I won’t use it as blackmail material though.”  Telling Trini had definitely been a bad idea.

The conversation lulled for a bit after that, both girls focused on their coffees and the pastry in front of them.  Kimberly set her coffee cup down and looked up at Trini, noticing a bit of donut glaze stuck at the corner of Trini’s mouth.

“Oh, you’ve got…” unconsciously Kimberly grabbed Trini’s chin carefully in her hand and brushed her thumb across her lower lip, wiping the donut glaze away.  About halfway through, she realized exactly what she was doing and just how intimate it seemed.  She swallowed thickly, her thumb still brushing against Trini’s lower lip.  She definitely lingered a few seconds longer than she should have before pulling away. “Got it,” she said, clearing her throat and shooting Trini a small smile.

“Thanks,” Trini replied quietly, grabbing for her coffee.

Kimberly picked up her fork again, intending to cut off another piece of donut for herself before noticing that there was only one piece left.  She looked at Trini, stabbing her fork down quickly in a challenge, mirroring their coffee date from earlier that year, back when they had first become Power Rangers.

Trini set her coffee down, smirking as she reached for her own fork, her eyes never leaving Kimberly’s.  As soon as her fingers wrapped around the handle, she quickly made her own stab for the donut, just missing as Kimberly pulled it away at the last second.  Their ensuing battle was even faster and more complex than the first time, a flurry of forks and hands swiping and grabbing and stabbing.

Trini ended up winning, but only because Kimberly let her.

“In your face!” Trini’s voice was muffled somewhat by the donut in her mouth.  Kimberly smiled and couldn’t help but think about how cute Trini looked doing her little victory dance in her seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing scenes with pre-written dialogue has proven to be an unexpected but interesting challenge in this fic. I'm trying to add at least small moments that weren't in the first part of the fic, so that it's not too much of the same.
> 
> Next chapter, they go to training and Kimberly gets to have her own heart-to-heart about feelings afterwards.


	3. I'm Just Feeling Low

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for training. And Kimberly gets called out about her feelings.

Kimberly was in the zone during training, knocking down Putty after Putty with ease.  She had shed her tank top in favor of training in just her sports bra and yoga pants.  Training always made her sweaty and her shirt would cling to her uncomfortably, so she decided it best to go without it.  And the look she got from Trini when she first pulled off her top was definitely a bonus.  

Kimberly took out two more Putties, slamming into one, then grabbing it and swinging it into the other.  She steadied herself, glancing around the room to find her next target when she saw Trini slammed against the wall by her opponent.  She was about to turn away, sure that Trini could handle herself, when Trini fell to the ground.  Instinctively, she rushed across the Pit, kicking right through the Putty just as it was raising a fist to strike.  As it crumbled to the ground, she slowly lowered her foot back to the floor.

“Are you okay Trin?” Kimberly asked, out of breath, her heart hammering in her ears.  She held out a hand to help Trini up.

“Just peachy,” Trini responded, grabbing her outstretched hand and standing up.  Trini quickly pulled her hand away, and Kimberly immediately missed the contact.

“Alright guys,” she heard Jason call out.  He motioned something to Alpha 5 before turning back to the rest of the group, “I think that’s enough Putty practice for today.  We’re going to move onto some sparring.” It seemed a little early to switch from Putty training, but Kimberly wasn’t complaining.  She preferred sparring anyways.  “And since there are five of us, we’ll rotate out every ten minutes. That way everyone will get the chance to take a break. Kim, Billy, you guys start.  Zack, you’re with me. Trini, you can have the first break.” The Putties around them dissolved as they all got ready to spar.  Kimberly couldn’t help but feel bad for Trini when she noticed the look on the other girl’s face as she sat down by her bag.  Kimberly knew it was definitely for the best that Trini take the first break.  She could have really gotten hurt and should probably take a breather.  But Kimberly also knew that Trini hated seeming weak, hated feeling like she was being treated as lesser than.  Hopefully beating Zack up during sparring would make her feel better - it usually did.  

Kimberly turned her attention back to Billy, who was already in a ready position, and jumped right into their fight.  They both danced around each other, striking quickly before pulling back.  Both Kimberly and Billy were particularly skilled at evasive moves, so almost no hits landed during their fight.  That is until the end of their fight when Kimberly’s gaze strayed back over to where Trini sat, knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them.  She wasn’t watching the fights, instead staring straight in front of her, eyes unfocused and a slight frown on her face.  Kimberly felt her heart pang at the sight.  She wanted nothing more than to scoop the smaller girl into a hug and kiss her frown away.

_“Jesus Christ Kimberly, now is not the time!”_ was Kimberly’s last thought before getting walloped on the side of the head by a punch from Billy.  She stumbled backwards, but luckily didn’t fall.  Billy dropped his fighting stance immediately, putting his hands over his mouth in alarm.

“Oh my god, Kimberly I’m so sorry, I thought you would dodge it!”  Kimberly waved off his concern as she steadied herself.

“It’s okay Billy, I’m fine. Just got distracted for a second I guess. Nice hit.”  

“Okay, ten minutes is up!” Jason called from where Zack had him in a chokehold, “Time to switch.”

“I’m taking the next break if that’s okay.” Kimberly said.  She really was okay but thought it best to take a rest after a hit like that.

“Sounds good.  I’ll spar with Billy next,” Jason replied.

“Alright Crazy Girl, you’re with me.” Zack motioned to Trini as she and Kimberly traded spots.

Kimberly was grateful to have the chance to sit down, stealing a drink from Trini’s water bottle as she watched her fight with Zack.  They were talking about something as they sparred, but Kimberly couldn’t quite make out what.  Whatever Zack was saying though, it was throwing Trini off her game.  She was hit with some easily avoidable shots and was even knocked off her feet at one point by a simple punch.  She seemed to get into the grove more as the fight went on, landing more hits than she missed, and Kimberly mentally cheered her on.  At one point, she caught Trini glancing over at her and smiled and gave her a small wave.  Next thing she knew, Trini was on the ground.  She hadn’t been distracted by Kimberly, had she?

_“Wow Kimberly, self-centered much?”_ As much as Kimberly liked the idea that Trini was as distracted by her as she was of Trini, it was clearly just wishful thinking.

As training went on, Kimberly battled against Zack and then Jason.  Zack was usually an easy opponent for her, since he jumped in headfirst into every attack and left himself open.  When he got a hit it was a hard one, but she was usually quick enough to avoid them.  Jason and she were pretty evenly matched.  He was definitely more offensive compared to her more defensive style, but he was more cautious than Zack, more tactical.  Their sparring session ended with both of them out of breath and covered in multiple new bruises.  

Finally it was the last fight of the day, and Kimberly was up against Trini.  It was Jason’s turn to break, but as ‘leader’ he watched carefully from the sidelines, ready to call out tips to the rest of the team.  

“You ready?” Kimberly challenged, getting into a fighting stance.

“Bring it.” Trini smirked as she brought her fists up.

The fight began slowly, both girls circling each other looking for a weak spot to attack.  Trini was the first to lunge, aiming a kick to Kimberly’s side.  Kimberly dodged it pretty easily, grabbing her leg to flip her.  Trini rolled out of the potentially hard landing and sprung back into action, throwing a small flurry of punches that Kimberly blocked before throwing a few of her own.  As Trini dodged, Kimberly took a step back to distance herself and find another opening.  She brushed away the sweat on her brow and combed her fingers quickly through her hair to get it back out of her face.  She noticed Trini freeze for a second and took the opportunity to strike, hitting her in the side with a swift kick.  Trini barely seemed to notice the attack until she was already on the ground.

“Trini, you’re distracted again, get your head in the game!” Jason called.

“Oh really, we’re quoting High School Musical now?” Trini replied sarcastically before jumping back up.  Kimberly couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the quip.

The rest of the fight went pretty smoothly.  The two girls’ fighting styles shouldn’t work well together, but somehow they synced really well.  In a real battle they were nearly unbeatable, Trini always jumped in head first in the attack and Kimberly covered her back, catching what Trini missed.  In a one-on-one, Trini’s aggressive attacks paired well with Kimberly’s skilled dodges.  They both would get several hits in during a fight, but most of the time they would both just hit air as the other seemed to predict their next move.  Trini had joked once that they would totally be ‘drift compatible’, and when Kimberly mentioned that she didn’t really know what that meant, Trini insisted that they watch Pacific Rim during their next group movie night.  As their sparring session came to an end, both girls were covered in a sheen of sweat, breathing heavily.  Kimberly wrapped an arm around Trini’s shoulders once Jason announced the end of training, smiling as they walked silently back to their stuff.  Once she reached her bag, Kimberly let go of Trini in favor of slipping on her tank top and brushing her unruly hair back out of her face.

“You wanna grab lunch?” She asked Trini, picking up her bag.

“Can’t,” Trini responded, “Zack asked to hang out after training today.”  Kimberly couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous and disappointed, though she tried not to let it show - and failed.

“Oh okay, that’s no problem. I’ll just catch you later then.”  She turned, getting ready to jump through the watery entrance, Trini’s voice stopping her before she jumped.

“We could do dinner?” Kimberly couldn’t help but smile widely at the suggestion, turning back to Trini.

“Sure. You can come to mine if you want?” She offered, “My parents are going out tonight, so we could order Chinese or something.”

“Sounds great, what time should I be there?”

“You can come anytime, but I think we should probably order by around six.” Kimberly hoped she would come by earlier.  Maybe she could convince her that she needed help with the biology homework?  No, Trini would never buy that.  Biology was one of Kimberly’s better subjects.  If Trini had actually been in her English class on the other hand, she would definitely appreciate help there.

“Sure, see you then.” With that, Trini launched herself out of the Pit through to the cliff face while Kimberly smiled after her.

“Damn, you’ve got it bad.” Came a voice from behind her.  She turned to look and saw Zack looking smug.

“What do you mean by that,” Kimberly asked, crossing her arms and cocking an eyebrow.

“Nothing, nothing,” Zack laughed, “It’s just that both of you are a little more obvious than you think.” Before Kimberly could question him further, he leaped into the water, splashing her in the face.  She jumped through a few seconds later, determined to get an answer out of him, but by the time she reached the top of the cliff face, Zack was already halfway to his train car.  

Billy and Jason followed close behind her and together they walked over to Kimberly’s car.  She had picked them all up after she and Trini left Krispy Kreme.  Well, all of them except for Zack who texted that he was already there when she offered.  They were all silent as they climbed in, Jason in the passenger seat and Billy sitting in the middle seat in the back.  Kimberly turned the radio on, quiet enough that they could still talk if they wanted, but loud enough that they didn’t have to.  As she pulled out of the quarry, Jason was the first to speak.

“He’s right you know?”

“Who?” Kimberly asked.

“Zack. About your feelings for Trini.”  Oh shit, they’d heard that?  Kimberly’s heart began pounding hard in her chest and she almost slammed on the breaks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do,” Jason rolled his eyes, “Loosen up on the steering wheel, you’re gonna break it.”  Kimberly glanced down to see that she had an almost death grip on the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white.  She relaxed her grip a little, grateful that the wheel had only become slightly misshapen instead of broken.  Jason continued, “It’s pretty clear to anyone with eyes that you have a thing for Trini.”

“It’s true,” Billy chimed in, “I didn’t realize it at first, but then Jason pointed it out, and it’s actually really really noticeable.”  Kimberly stayed quiet, keeping her eyes on the road.  She had no idea what to say in response.  Was she really so obvious about it?

“If it makes you feel any better, Trini’s worse,” Jason said after about a minute of tense silence.  

“Wait, what?”  Kimberly responded, more than a little surprised.

“Well, you’re not subtle, but Trini’s even less so,” at Kim’s confused look, Jason rolled his eyes and continued, “Don’t look so surprised, you know she’s into girls.” Kimberly scoffed at that.

“Just because she’s into girls doesn’t mean she’s automatically into me.”

“Okay, but you have to notice how much she blushes around you.” Jason argued back.

“She’s just easily embarrassed. She blushes at a lot of things.”

“She was also cuddling with you during our movie night last night,” Billy added, leaning forward and resting his hand on the back of Jason’s seat.

“Trini cuddles with everyone though! She’s like a cuddle monster.”

“Yeah, but she seems to cuddle with you most,” Jason countered, “Also you guys hang out alone a lot. Like your coffee date this morning or dinner tonight.”

“Well I… I mean,” Kimberly didn’t have a good response to that. She did spend a lot of time alone with Trini, but she didn’t think that was necessarily an argument that Trini liked her back.  Jason cut her off before she could continue ramble her way to a decent argument.

“Also she was clearly distracted by something during training today, and I can’t say for sure, but I think you taking off your shirt had at least something to do with it.” Kimberly could feel her face turning pink. “Look, just consider talking to her about it? I’m positive she feels the same.”

Kimberly was silent for the rest of the ride, only half paying attention to the conversation the boys were having, something about a project Billy was working on and new strategies to improve their Power Ranger training.  They reached Billy’s house first, and he got out quickly, yelling, “Good luck Kim!” as he walked to his front door.  She and Jason still didn’t really talk in the rest of the ten minute drive to his house.  As she pulled to a stop in front of his yard, he opened the door and started to get out.

“Jason,” Kimberly said, stopping him in his tracks.  He turned around and she took a deep breath, “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Jason responded with a smile, “Sorry to put you on the spot like that. See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.” Kimberly waved as he shut the door.

As she drove the rest of the way home, Kimberly couldn’t stop thinking about what the boys had said.  Could they be right?  Did Trini really like her back?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Trini comes over for a study date/Chinese food.


	4. Even When You're Next To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Study Date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have been drawing on personal experience from having to read The Scarlet Letter back in high school English class.

This homework was literally killing her.  Kimberly could actually  _ feel  _ her brain melting under the strain of analyzing this stupid book.  Seriously, why did anyone even still teach  _ The Scarlet Letter _ ?  No one actually enjoyed trudging through the excessive, pointless descriptions, searching for hidden meanings and symbols that Hawthorne may or may not have even intended, so why make another generation of high schoolers suffer through reading it?  Kimberly’s worksheet for the chapter was almost finished, she was  _ so close _ to freedom, but she was stuck on the last stupid question.  This last stupid question that didn’t even make any freaking sense!  Why should she even care about the symbolism of certain flowers in this stupid book?  When would she ever even have to know this in her real life?

Kimberly finally gave up and hastily scribbled down a half-thought out answer, shutting her book and throwing it towards her backpack.  All she had left to do now was Biology.  She pulled out her textbook and started the assigned chapter.  Her brain still felt like mush from her English assignment, so she was not having a very easy time comprehending anything.  She kept having to go back and reread the third page because her mind was just not cooperating. On her seventh readthrough of the same freaking paragraph, she heard her phone buzz and saw Trini’s name light up on the screen.  Kimberly smiled to herself as she reached for her phone.  This was definitely a welcome distraction.  She laughed when she read the message, apparently she wasn’t the only one struggling with the Biology assignment.

 

**_Trini (2:31 PM)_ **

Biology is the worst

 

Kimberly typed out a quick reply, glad that someone else was sharing in her pain.

 

**_Kimberly (2:32 PM)_ **

Ugh i know

How far are you??

Ive been rereading the same paragraph for like 10 min -.-

 

**_Trini (2:34 PM)_ **

Finished the chapter but I remember almost none of it

Just started the problems

 

This seemed like a great point to invite Trini over early.  What better way to suffer through homework than to do it with friends?  Kimberly typed out an invitation, but then immediately deleted it, thinking it sounded stupid.  She did this two more times, each time over-scrutinizing the text and deciding something was wrong with it, before finally deciding screw it and actually sending the fourth attempt.

 

**_Kimberly (2:38 PM)_ **

You wanna come over now and suffer together? 

 

It wasn’t a big deal, or at least it shouldn’t be a big deal whether or not Trini agreed, but still Kimberly stared at her phone with bated breath.  She still cared, okay?  After a few minutes with no reply, Kimberly slumped dejectedly in her chair.  Maybe Trini didn’t actually want to come over?  Maybe she was trying to figure out how to let Kimberly down gently?   _Maybe_ she figured out about Kimberly’s crush - the boys knew so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Trini knew too - and she felt uncomfortable around her now? Or maybe, hopefully, she just got caught up in something?  Kimberly pushed her phone away, trying to bring her focus back to her textbook.  But as soon as started to read, her phone lit up with another message.  Kim immediately perked up, nearly jumping out of her seat as she grabbed her phone so fast that she almost broke it.  Again.

 

**_Trini (2:43 PM)_ **

Sure

Be there in 20

 

**_Kimberly (2:44 PM)_ **

Yay!

See you then <3

Kimberly debated adding the little yellow heart, fearing that maybe it was too much or too obvious, before deciding that it was fine.  She used the color coded hearts for all the Rangers in their group chat sometimes.  She almost added a pink heart emoji after the yellow one, but that would definitely have been too much.

Kimberly set her phone down and quickly surveyed her room.  It was still mostly clean from when Trini had stayed over last night, but her bed was a complete mess - pillows thrown everywhere, sheets rumpled, comforter half on the floor.  Kimberly usually didn’t care enough to make the bed (she was just going to mess it up again the next night anyways), but now Trini was coming back over so her room had to be perfect.  She made the bed, using a bit of her superpower-enhanced speed to get it done fast, making sure everything looked nice and presentable.  She picked up a few things off the floor and straightened up the books on her desk before deeming her room ‘company-ready’, as her mom would say.  When she was satisfied with her room’s appearance, she sat back down at the desk and continued to read the textbook, finding it much easier to work through now that she’d had a short study break - even if that study break was mostly used to clean.

Kimberly became so absorbed in the textbook reading that she visibly startled when she heard a knock on her bedroom window.  Kimberly knew that she was the one who started all of this, but did  her friends all _have_ to use windows as their main form of entry?  After opening the window, she voiced that thought to Trini.

“You know, you could just use the door like a normal person,” she said as Trini climbed into the room.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Trini replied, smirking.

“Touche.” Kimberly smirked back.  She held Trini’s gaze for a moment before the other girl pointedly looked away and started slipping off her shoes.

“So did you finally finish that paragraph?”  Oh right. Homework. Trini was here to do homework and Kimberly was still standing in the middle of the room like an idiot.  She started to make her way back to her desk.

“I did. I’ve got about three pages left, I think.”  She sat down and tried to remember exactly where on the page she was while Trini sat down on the bed.

“Great, then you can help me when I’m done, because I remember exactly none of that chapter.”

Both girls worked in silence.  They could have probably been working on the problems together, but Trini was already ahead of Kimberly, and she wasn’t going to make her stop and wait for her.  Besides, judging by the way Trini was complaining earlier, Kimberly would most likely catch up soon enough.  After about twenty minutes, Kimberly heard a groan from behind her, followed by a soft thud.  She quickly turned to see the source of the noise and saw Trini sprawled out on the bed, face down on top of her Biology textbook.

“You okay over there?” Kim asked, laughing.

“Yep,” Trini responded, voice muffled by the book.

“Biology getting you down?”

“Something like that.” Trini lifted her head and turned towards Kimberly, “I’m uh… I’m having trouble with this problem.”

“Need help?” Kimberly got up and joined Trini on the bed, grabbing the textbook from her and leaning over to look at her notebook.  She had actually just done this problem, so it would be pretty easy to explain.  Her shoulder brushed against Trini’s as she flipped to the correct page in the textbook.  She was probably sitting a little unnecessarily close, but it wasn’t her fault!  Her crush was right there and looking super cute and frustrated, and Kimberly was only _human_.  She did her best to explain the problem at hand, and she _definitely_ wasn’t leaning extra close to Trini while she was explaining on purpose or anything.  Definitely not.  

“Does that make sense?” Kimberly asked when she finished going over the problem. Trini didn’t respond.  Kimberly turned to see why and noticed a glazed look in her eye.  Had she listened to  _ any _ of what Kimberly had just said?  “Trini?”  Still no response. “Trini are you even paying any attention?” Finally Trini seemed to break out of her reverie and gave a quick nod.  Kimberly rolled her eyes as she stood up and walked back to her desk.

After about another forty minutes of work, Kimberly finally finished.  Considering that Trini had a head start on her, she was somewhat surprised to see her still struggling on the last couple of problems.  She was about to offer up her help again, but decided to wait a little bit first, mostly because frustrated Trini was really cute and she kind of wanted to sneak a picture.  She picked up her phone, answering a few texts from their team group chat to avoid suspicion, before slyly opening up the camera app and snapping a quick shot.  It was a cute candid, Trini leaning on her elbows with her hair falling in her face on one side and nibbling on the end of her pencil as she stared down at the page, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  Kimberly was definitely saving this one.  Wait, that wasn’t creepy was it?  It’s normal to have pictures of your friends on your phone, right?  Even if you do have a crush on said friend?  Well, Kimberly would just delete it later if she decided it was too weird.  She set her phone down and decided it would probably be best to actually offer up some assistance now.

“I just finished if you need any help with the last few.” 

“Nope, I’m good.” Trini’s eyes stayed trained on the paper, though her pencil didn’t move.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I got this.” 

“Alright.” Kimberly knew Trini was just being stubborn now, and would probably be asking for help soon anyways.  She wouldn’t accept it though if Kimberly kept offering, so she would just have to wait it out.  She pulled her phone back out and started playing a game while she waited.  After another few minutes, Trini finally broke.

“Ugh, fine. Help me please?”

“Really? I was under the impression that you ‘got this’.”  Kimberly asked with a smirk, adding air quotes for effect.

“Okay, I was wrong, I need help. Are you happy now?”

“Yes.” Kimberly smiled in response to Trini’s pout as she walked back over to the bed.  She was able to pretty quickly explain the rest of the problems, and Trini actually seemed to be paying attention this time.  After ten minutes, they were finally done and could put their books away for the night.  But before Kimberly could ask what they should do now that they were done, Trini’s stomach started growling.

“Hungry?” Kimberly laughed, Trini’s stomach growled again in response. “You still good with Chinese?”

“Yeah.” 

“It’ll probably take about a half hour to get here anyway, so we can order now.”

“Awesome.”

After placing their orders, Kimberly led Trini into the living room to wait. 

“Wanna watch a movie while we eat?” She suggested.  They had just watched a movie with the boys the previous night, but movie nights were always fun (and also a perfect excuse to cuddle). “We have a lot of options if you’re up for it, though it’s mostly my dad’s collection, so it’s a lot of older stuff.”

“A movie sounds good. What have you got?”  Kimberly opened up the TV cabinet and began to rifle through it, pulling out DVDs she thought Trini might be interested in.

“Well, let’s see. We have all the old  _ Star Wars _ movies.  There’s  _ Back to the Future _ , and we have a bunch of the  _ Indiana Jones _ movies.  We have  _ Tangled _ and  _ Enchanted  _ if you’re into Disney movies.” Then Kim eyes landed on might be the perfect movie. “Oh, we’ve got  _ The Breakfast Club _ !”

“Never seen it,” Trini replied. She hadn’t seen  _ The Breakfast Club _ ?  Well they definitely had to fix that.

“Oh we’ve  _ gotta _ watch it!  It’s basically us, our team I mean.  Without super powers though.” Maybe it should be saved for group movie night, but Kimberly really just wanted to watch it with Trini.  And maybe if she really liked it, they could watch it with the guys another time?

“Sure, why not?”  Kimberly mentally fist pumped as she took the movie out of its case and placed it in the DVD player.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Kimberly gets cuddly during the movie.
> 
> If you guys want to chat, come hit me up on Tumblr at stepsofthepalace!


	5. Even When You Hold My Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini and Kim watch a movie and Kimberly accidentally does something that she sort of regrets (but also kind of doesnt)

“Okay, I’ve got the food!” Kimberly called from the front door.  Trini was in the sitting room trying to set up the movie. “You ready to start?”

“Almost, I think? This remote is really confusing.” Kimberly laughed as she grabbed forks from the kitchen.  She flopped down next to Trini, pulling a blanket off the back of the couch to drape over them, and handed Trini her Lo Mein.

“Let me do it,” Kimberly said, snatching the remote out of Trini’s hand.

“Fine,” Trini huffed, “Your TV is ridiculous.” Kimberly quietly laughed as she finished setting up the movie.  Trini wasn’t wrong, this TV had three different remotes that all worked different parts of the system, and some of it still barely made sense to Kimberly.  She shifted closer to Trini as the opening credits began and “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” played. 

“Is there seriously a quote from David Bowie in the opening credits?” Trini asked, “Why?”

“Shh, it’s starting”.

“But-”

“Shush.” Kimberly put her pointer finger over Trini’s lips to quiet her, and Trini rolled her eyes in response.  It wasn’t that Kimberly was particularly bothered by talking during movies, the whole group talked through movies all the time, but this was one of her favorites so she got defensive about it.  She pulled her hand back from Trini’s mouth and started to eat, returning her attention to the movie.

When they had both finished their food, Kimberly grabbed Trini’s empty container and put both on the coffee table in front of them.  As she leaned back, she took the opportunity to snuggle closer to Trini, sitting flush against her side and resting her head on Trini’s shoulder.  Kimberly also started taking any little opportunity to touch Trini throughout the movie- grabbing her hand whenever something vaguely surprising or ‘scary’ happened, and nudging or tapping her when her favorite parts were coming up (Look, she was a teenage girl, okay?  Don’t judge her just because she made little excuses to be close to her crush!).  Towards the end of the movie, she was all but in Trini’s lap, but Trini didn’t seem to mind.  She was a huge cuddler herself and would immediately relax into any contact Kimberly initiated.

“Jason’s probably the athlete character, “ Kimberly noted during a quiet moment near the end.

“Really?” Trini responded sarcastically, “I never would have guessed.” Yeah, so it was probably a bit too obvious of a comparison, but it wasn’t  _ Kimberly’s _ fault that her friends weirdly matched up with the kids from  _ The Breakfast Club. _

“And Billy’s definitely the nerd,” Kimberly continued.  Again, a pretty surface level comparison, but still. “Like it’s not a perfect fit, but that’s definitely the character he fits best.  Zack…” Zack was a bit harder than the others to place, “Zack I guess would be the criminal. He’s nowhere near as bad as Bender, but he does miss school more often than he attends, so it kind of works.”

“Wouldn’t that make him the princess though?” Trini contested, “I mean, that’s why she was in detention.”

“True, but as much as I hate to admit it, I’m probably the Princess.” Claire was definitely the ‘Alpha Bitch’ character, and as much as Kimberly was getting better, that had definitely been her moniker not long ago.

“Wait a second,” something seemed to click in Trini’s brain, “Does that make me the crazy one?” She put a hand on her chest, pretending to be horribly insulted.

“Well, you  _ do _ come to detention voluntarily,” Kimberly refuted.  Besides, Kimberly thought that Allison was a much better character than Claire anyway, so it really wasn't an insult.

“I’m offended.”

“Oh come on, I’m not saying you make sandwiches out of Pixie Stix or anything like that. Besides, Zack is the one that actually  _ called _ you ‘Crazy Girl’, so don’t blame me.”  Kimberly held Trini’s mock angry glare until both girls broke into laughter.

“Wait, does this mean I have to date Jason?” Trini asked between laughs.  Kimberly wrinkled her nose at the thought before realizing that she had a similar predicament.

“Only if I end up with Zack.” She almost shuddered thinking about it.  She loved Zack, she really did, but she  _ definitely _ did not want to date him.

“Gross.” Trini laughed.  They both quieted down as the characters began speaking again, and Kimberly returned her head to rest on Trini's shoulder.  At the end of the movie, after Bender pumped his fist in the air and the credits began, Trini was the first to speak.

“I still can’t believe you think I’m the ‘Basket Case’." 

“I can’t believe you’re that upset about it! I’ll say sorry, but I won’t say that it’s completely inaccurate.” Trini pouted in response, crossing her arms and turning back to the TV. Kimberly laughed, “Aw, it’s okay, I still love you.”

Kimberly leaned in to give Trini a kiss on the cheek (she’s weak, okay? Give her a break!).  Honestly and truthfully, she only meant for it to be a cheek kiss, so what happened next was  _ not _ her fault.  Should she have expected that Trini might turn her head to respond? Maybe. Was she perhaps aiming a little too close to the corner of Trini’s mouth when she leaned in? Probably, yeah.  Had she been wanting to kiss Trini for a while now?  Absolutely.  Was some part of her actually happy that it happened?  Well… yes.  But regardless, Kimberly’s intent was for it to be a cheek kiss, so the fact that her lips ended up pressed against Trini’s was, without a doubt,  _ not her fault _ .  Even so, she pulled back almost immediately and started to launch into an apology.

“Shit Trini, I’m sorry, I-” Trini cut her off before she could continue.

“I should go.” Before Kimberly knew what was happening, Trini was off the couch and down the hall.  Kimberly sat frozen in shock for a moment before standing to follow.  She heard her quick footsteps on the stairs, heading to Kimberly’s room to grab her stuff.

“Trini?” Kimberly called as she followed up the stairs.

When she finally got to her room, all signs of Trini having been there were gone, except for an open window.  Kimberly walked over to it and looked out, seeing Trini’s retreating form in the distance, already probably a good half mile down the road.  Kimberly should have followed her.  She  _ wanted _ to follow her even, but she couldn’t.  She didn’t even know what she’d say if she managed to catch up.  She sat down on the edge of her bed, knuckles white as she tried to hold back her tears.  She had tried so hard to do everything right, to be a good friend, but somehow she had managed to ruin everything again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Kimberly gets angsty when Trini avoids her.  
> In the companion fic, the next chapter would be the last, but I think I'll be splitting it into two for this one.
> 
> Thank you to @grammarkid for giving me a kick in the pants to get this chapter done early!


	6. And It Breaks My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly tries her best to cope with the fact that Trini doesn't want to talk to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really got away from me, and turned out at least twice as long as I initially planned. Hope you guys enjoy angsty Kim!

Kimberly paced around her room, clutching her phone in her hand.  She hadn’t been able to stop moving since Trini left, feeling like she had to do something but not knowing what.  For the moment, she settled with opening her phone and sending a text.

 

**_Kimberly (8:04 PM)_ **

Trini?

 

It wasn’t enough.  Kimberly was still feeling anxious and fidgety, so when she didn’t get an immediate response, she pressed the call button instead.  She tugged nervously on the end of her shirt while the phone rang.  Voicemail.  She tried again.  Trini still didn’t pick up, so she decided to leave a message.

“Trini, it’s Kim. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me right now, but please just give me a chance to explain. I… I really didn’t mean to upset you or make you uncomfortable, and I know you’re probably pissed at me but I just… Can we please talk about this? Just call me back, or text me if you don’t want to call, that’s fine too. Just um… let me know when you get this?”

She was too restless to wait for a response, so she decided to call again.  But first, she sent another text.

 

**_Kimberly (8:07 PM)_ **

Trini please pick up

 

She called and got Trini’s voicemail again.  She sent another text.

 

**_Kimberly (8:09 PM)_ **

Can you at least let me know if you got home okay?

 

Kimberly put her phone down.  Every minute that passed after sending the last text was agony.  Logically, she knew Trini was probably fine.  She was a Power Ranger, she could take care of herself.  But that still didn’t stop Kimberly from worrying about the lack of response.  She continued to pace around her room, wearing down a small path in her carpet.  She picked her phone back up.  Still no response.  She could feel tears burning in the corners of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She felt so helpless. What if Trini never wanted to speak to her again?  She had to keep trying.  Picking the phone back up again, she sent off a short string of texts.

 

**_Kimberly (8:23 PM)_ **

I’m really sorry

I know I messed up

Can we talk tomorrow?

Please

Tears started falling freely as the minutes continued to tick by.  She pulled her phone back out and pressed the call button.  She needed to not be alone right now.  If Trini wasn’t going to respond, then she needed a friend to keep her from doing something stupid.

“Hey Kim, what’s up?” Jason’s voice crackled through the speaker.  Kimberly tried to respond, she really did, but when she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was a harsh sob. “Woah, hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Can I come over?” Kimberly murmured.

“Yeah, I’ll pick you up. Do you want me to come to your house or meet you at the quarry?”

“Quarry.” She needed to get out of her house sooner rather than later.

“Okay, I’m on my way.” Kimberly could hear the jangle of his keys through the speaker. “Do you want me to stay on the line with you til I get there?”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks Jase.”

 

***

 

Her walk to the quarry was slow, and by the time she got there Jason was already waiting by his truck.  As she approached him, he didn’t say anything, just held his arms out to pull her into a tight hug.  They stood like that for a minute until Kimberly pulled away and walked to the passenger side door.

The drive started out quiet, neither of them saying anything as the radio played softly to fill the silence.  Kimberly had stopped crying and was now blankly staring out the window.  After about ten minutes, Jason cleared his throat to get her attention.

“So, I don’t want to pry, but… did something happen?”

“Yeah.” It was as much of a reply as she could bring herself to say right now.

“Does it… have anything to do with Trini? I know you guys made plans to hang out tonight.”

“Yeah.” Kimberly clenched her fists tightly in an effort to hold back the tears that had started to well up again.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Kimberly didn’t immediately respond.  What should she even say?  Should she tell him about the kiss?  Would he understand if she tried to explain it?

“I um... “ She swallowed thickly, trying to think of how best to word it. “Something uh… something happened and Trini… got upset and ran home. And now she won’t answer my texts or calls and I just don’t know what to do?,” A few tears slipped quietly down her cheek, “I don’t know how to fix it, or if she even wants to fix it? And I don’t even know if she made it home okay…”

Jason reached over and grabbed her hand, stopping her ramble.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I’m sure Trini’s fine and just needs some time to cool off. You know how she is.” Kimberly nodded, but didn’t know if she believed him.

When they got to Jason’s, he led her inside to his room.  They sat silently on the bed, Kimberly curled tightly into his side.  He tried once to ask for more specifics, but she couldn’t figure out what to say.  She didn’t know quite why she was hiding it - whether it was to protect Trini’s privacy, or if it was more because she felt like kind of a creep.  She knew Jason wouldn’t judge her, at least not as harshly as she judged herself.  Hell, he had helped her start to forgive herself for something _far_ worse.  For some reason though, she just couldn’t bring herself to explain, and Jason didn’t push, just pulled her closer.

 

***

 

The next morning, Kimberly woke up in an unfamiliar bed.  She jumped up, heart racing from panic until she looked over and saw Jason curled up on the floor.  She must have fallen asleep at Jason’s last night. She felt a little guilty that she had essentially stolen his bed. She hadn’t meant to stay the night.  Oh god, her parents didn’t know she wasn’t going to be home.  She checked her phone.  Three missed texts from both her parents and five missed calls.  Shit.  She wasn’t looking forward to dealing with that when she got home.  She decided it was probably best to leave now, and got up to climb out the window.  She tried to stay quiet so she wouldn’t wake Jason, but not quiet enough it seemed, as Jason stirred when she opened the window.

“Hey,” he muttered groggily.

“Hey,” Kimberly replied, “Thanks for letting me stay the night.”

“Of course,” he smiled, “It’s not like I would have kicked you out.”

“Sorry I made you sleep on the floor.”

“It’s fine,” Jason laughed, “It wasn’t _too_ bad.”

“Still. Thanks.”

“Did you want a ride home? I can be ready in a few minutes” Jason got up and grabbed some clothes out of his drawers.

“Sure.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He took his clothes down the hall to the bathroom, reappearing five minutes later fully dressed and ready to go.  Kimberly followed him out the door to his truck, getting an odd look from Jason’s dad on the way out.

“Does your dad know I spent the night?” She asked nervously.

“Yeah, he came in after you fell asleep. It was a _little_ awkward, but I think I managed to convince him that nothing, you know, _indecent_ was going on.”

“Oh god, I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s cool. I also did call your parents. I hope that’s okay? Your phone kept going off, so I thought I should let them know that you were alright.” Holy crap, what had she done to deserve a friend like him?

“Thanks Jason,” Kimberly pulled him in for a tight hug before climbing in the car.

“Anytime.”

 

***

 

Luckily Kimberly’s parents had already left for work by the time she got home, so she didn’t have to deal with that lecture until later.  She quickly got dressed and rejoined Jason outside to head to school.

The rest of the morning was a blur, and Kimberly walked the halls feeling like a zombie.  She took almost no notes in her classes, and didn’t even remember writing the ones she did take.  The only positive was when Billy sent her little doodles in Math class to cheer her up.  The last one was a quick drawing of all five of them, which she made sure to put in her folder for safekeeping.  She didn’t have the energy to send much in return, but did send a quick ‘Thanks B’ towards the end of class.

Lunch was the absolute worst.  Kimberly spent most of the period with her eyes trained on the entrance to the cafeteria, looking for any sign of Trini.  Billy and Zack sat across from her chatting animatedly about a new show on Netflix, and they tried to pull Kimberly in a few times to no avail.  Jason would join the conversation now and again, but every few minutes or so he would make a quick lap around the perimeter of the cafeteria.  At first, the rest of them weren’t quite sure what he was doing, but it soon became clear that he was also looking for Trini.

“Any sign of her?” Zack asked after Jason’s third lap.

“Nope,” Jason sighed, slumping down in the chair next to Kimberly.

“Did something happen?” Zack asked.  Jason looked at Kimberly, but she stayed silent, ducking her head and turning back to the cafeteria doors. “Oookay,” Zack muttered, “I’m gonna take _that_ as a yes.”

“Well I’m sure she’ll get here soon,” Billy interjected, ever the optimist, “She has to eat sometime.”

“I don’t know about that,” Zack refuted, “We _are_ talking about the girl who literally scaled a mountain and jumped a ravine to avoid talking to us back in the day. If homegirl’s in ‘avoidance mode’, something tells me it’s gonna be hard to catch her.”

Jason nodded in agreement, “I almost caught her in the hallway before third period, but she hid out in the girls’ bathroom until the bell rang. _And_ she ignored most of my notes in History.”

“She’s probably in some hidey-hole somewhere,” Zack added, taking a bite of an apple.

“I should go look again,” Jason made to stand, but Kimberly grabbed his sleeve to stop him.

“Jason, don’t. Zack’s right, it’s pointless if she doesn’t _want_ to be found.”

Jason sighed, “You’re probably right.” He slumped back down in his seat, “You should eat some of that,” he said, gesturing to Kimberly’s untouched lunch.  She nodded and took a small bite of her sandwich, more to appease Jason than to satisfy any actual desire for food.

Lunch ended and before Kimberly knew it, she was in Biology, shifting uncomfortably in her seat at the front. Trini walked in as the bell rang, eyes downcast.  She looked up at Kimberly briefly before averting her gaze and speed walking to her desk in the back of the room.  Kimberly didn’t know which was worse, the avoidance or the look of misery on Trini’s face in that moment.  Kimberly had done that.  She’d thought at worst that Trini was just pissed at her, but no, she actually _hurt_ her.  It was all Kimberly could do not to break down in the middle of class.  She looked back every so often to see Trini pointedly avoiding her gaze, and her heart sank every time.  She didn’t know why she kept looking.  Maybe she was trying to punish herself, thought she deserved it somehow.

 

***

 

“What do you mean she’s not coming? She can’t just skip out on training!” Jason whisper-shouted to Zack.  He had come in later than the rest of them and informed Jason of Trini’s intentional absence.  Kimberly sat curled up on the ledge near the Pit entrance.  Billy could tell she was upset and sat close, not close enough to touch, but close enough to be a comforting presence.

“She told me she was sick.”

“I’m not even sure that’s _possible_.” None of them had really gotten sick yet after becoming Rangers, and this was definitely the first time any of them had missed out on after school training.

“Well what are you gonna do? Go to her house and drag her down her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” It was clear that Jason wasn’t actually mad at Trini, he was frustrated.  He felt a responsibility as the ‘leader’ to fix things, and got upset when he couldn’t.

Jason finally gave up and started training anyway.  Kimberly tried to fight like normal, but she was sluggish and got hit more times than she could count.  She could tell the guys were going easy on her during sparring, and the only reason she was even landing any punches was because they were letting her.

After training, she didn’t go home.  Instead she went to her usual spot, stripping down to her sports bra and leaping into the water.  She stayed under longer than she should have, until her lungs began to burn in protest and she forced herself to swim back to the surface.  She stayed in the water for hours, watching the sky darken, and didn’t go home until the moon was high overhead.  She went straight to her room once she got home, ignoring her parents’ concerned questioning, and collapsed on her bed.

 

***

 

The next day at school was more of the same, but instead of sad, Kimberly ended up feeling anxious and irritable, frustration building up throughout the day - at herself for being such an awful friend, at fate or destiny or whatever for putting her in this situation in the first place, at Trini for _still_ refusing to even _talk_ to her. She even found herself getting annoyed at the boys for little reasons, and ended up blowing up at Jason when he suggested that she sit out on training that day.

“What? You think I can’t _handle_ myself?” She almost yelled at him.

“It’s not that. I just know that whatever happened between you and Trini has been really hard- **”**

“I’m _fine_ , Jason.”

“But-”

“I said I’m fine!” With that, Kimberly stormed to the other side of the Pit.

Fighting was strangely therapeutic, and Kimberly tore down Putty after Putty.  Her anger was making her sloppy, but somehow effective.  Her moves had none of her usual grace, but more force.  She left herself open to hits, though she hardly registered them.  She started feeling dizzy, nearly tripping over her own feet to get to her next opponent, but she didn’t let it faze her and just chalked it up to not drinking enough water.  She kept fighting, but after taking down the next Putty, she collapsed to the ground.  The boys were at her side as soon as she fell.

“Kim, are you okay?” Jason asked, grabbing her shoulders to keep her steady.

“‘m fine…” Kimberly mumbled.

“You’re not _fine_ , you’re bleeding!” She was?  Kimberly lifted a hand to her forehead, pulling it away red and sticky.  So she was. “You should go home.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Zack offered before she could argue, grabbing her arm softly but firmly to help her stand. He wrapped her arm over his shoulders and grabbed her around the waist to support her as they made their way out of the Pit.

“So, seriously dude, what happened?” Zack asked as they walked, “Because this is starting to get ridiculous.” Kimberly stayed silent. “Okay, well if you’re not gonna tell me, I’ll just figure it out myself.” He brought his free hand to his chin as he pondered, “Well, it definitely had something to do with your little _date night_ … I don’t believe you would have intentionally said something bitchy, and even if you did, Trini would probably just tell you to shove it. Huh… Well it’s not like you _kissed_ her or anything, did you?” He laughed.  Kimberly still said nothing, but averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing a deep red.  Zack gaped at her in shock, “Holy shit! You did?”

“Zack-”

“That was honestly just a spitball! I seriously wasn’t expecting-”

“It was an accident!”

“An accident?” Zack asked disbelievingly, his eyebrows knit in slight confusion.

“Yes,” Kimberly sighed.

“But…” He gave her a sly look, “You didn’t _want_ it to be an accident, did you?” Her cheeks turned redder, if that were possible, as she sputtered through a response.

“What- I.. No- I mean, I- I just-”

Zack mercifully cut her off before she hurt herself, “Don’t worry Kimmy,” he laughed, “I won’t tell anyone. But I do think you need to talk to Trini. Preferably soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Kimberly decides to make Trini talk to her.


	7. I Can Think Of Something Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 'thrilling' conclusion. Kimberly finally confronts Trini.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to @grammarkid for helping come up with the headcanon that Kimberly stress bakes.

Kimberly sifted the flour carefully, acutely aware that if she moved too quickly the flour would end up going everywhere (it had only happened a couple of times before, but she’d really rather it not happen again).  She was making shortbread cookies, not that she was planning to actually eat any of them.  She’d probably just pawn them off on her parents to take to work tomorrow, or bring them to school to give to her friends.

Jason had asked her to sit out on training again today, but this time she took his advice - her minor head injury from yesterday giving him a pretty compelling argument.  So instead, she was baking.  It was the most productive of her coping mechanisms, and she liked it because it kept her hands and mind busy so she couldn’t think too hard about… well, about everything.  Also, it usually resulted in a nice treat for her friends and family, so it was a win-win.  Her parents always made sure to keep the baking cupboard well stocked just in case.  They definitely enjoyed the baked goods Kimberly would make, but they mostly encouraged it because stress baking was decidedly less dangerous than some of her usual alternatives.

Kimberly made sure to be careful when combining the flour with the butter and sugar mix, as she’d already broken one bowl today and wasn’t looking to break another (it turns out that anger/frustration combined with Ranger powers didn’t always pan out well).  Once the mix seemed suitably blended, Kimberly went off in search of the rolling pin.  But of _course_ , it was just her luck that it wasn’t in the usual drawer.  She dug through it three times to make sure, but the rolling pin still didn’t magically appear like she’d hoped.  She kept looking, starting with the surrounding drawers, but no luck.  As her search continued she ended up barely even looking, just opening drawers at random and slamming them shut again.  In her haste, she almost pulled one off it’s tracks and left a small crack in another.  As she wrenched open the next drawer, she heard a voice from the doorway.

“Looking for something?” Her mom asked.

“The rolling pin. Do you know where it is?” Kimberly ran her flour covered fingers through her hair in irritation.

“I think I saw it the other day.” Her mom walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard next to the fridge, somehow producing the missing utensil.

“What was it doing in _there_ ?” Kimberly groaned.  That was honestly the last place she would have looked.  It wasn’t anywhere _near_ where she usually put it.

“Your dad must have put it away last,” her mom replied, laughing softly.  Her face turned serious, “Kimberly, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Kimberly replied shortly.  She knew her mom could read her lie, but she _really_ didn’t want to get into it right now. “I just couldn’t find the stupid rolling pin.”

“Okay honey, if you’re sure.” Her mom knew better than to push when Kimberly got in a ‘mood’. “Are you going to be home for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah.” Kimberly started to roll out the dough.

“Alright, I”ll let you know when I need the kitchen.” Her mom headed off to her room to change out of her work clothes, leaving Kimberly alone again.

Once she finally got the cookies in the oven, Kimberly collapsed in a stool at the kitchen island.  This was the part of baking she hated the most, the _waiting_ .  She had nothing to keep her mind occupied aside from her thoughts, which is exactly what she was trying to avoid.  She kept getting up to check the timer, and each time swore that even _less_ time had passed.  Suddenly, her phone buzzed and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the alert.  She grabbed her phone, hoping against hope that Trini had finally responded.  No such luck.  Instead it was a text from Billy.  He’d been sending Kimberly little memes and science jokes throughout the day to cheer her up, and though she couldn’t help but be slightly disappointed, she was honestly touched.

With eight minutes still left on the timer, Kimberly decided to busy herself with cleaning, soaking her unbroken mixing bowls and washing the measuring instruments.  She wiped down the counters three times and put everything away before sitting down again and looking back at the timer.  Still four minutes left.  Kimberly huffed and tapped her fingers impatiently on the granite countertop.  Checking her phone again proved useless.  No new messages, from Trini or otherwise.  Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she stared down the oven timer, willing it to go off.  She ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly realizing that she’d managed to get flour in it somehow and would have to take a shower once the stupid cookies were out of the oven. Kimberly glanced at her phone again. Still nothing.  She laid her head face down on the counter and continued to wait.

Finally the timer went off and Kimberly leaped out of her seat.  She ran over to the oven, and reached in to grab the tray.

“Shit!” Kimberly jerked her hand back in pain.  She had forgotten oven mitts.  How could she be so stupid?  She quickly turned the oven off with her other hand and ran over to the sink to run the burn under cold water.  Luckily her enhanced healing meant that it would be gone in just a couple of hours, but still, right now it hurt like a bitch.

She cradled her burned hand close to her chest as she carefully slipped an oven mitt on the other and pulled out the cookies.  She set the tray on a hot pad before retreating from the kitchen to get some aloe.

 

***

 

That night, Kimberly lied on her bed just staring at the ceiling. She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there when she was jerked out of her thoughts by a text.  She quickly rolled over, grabbing her phone off the end table.  It was a group text from Jason asking about training tomorrow, probably trying, in vain, to get Trini to agree to finally show up.  Not only had she not been at training the last few days (Kimberly couldn’t be positive about today, but she was pretty damn sure), but her excuses kept getting weaker.  Kimberly realized that Zack was right, enough was enough.  She was going to talk to Trini.  Now.  Whether Trini wanted to or not.  Kimberly slipped on her shoes and climbed out her window, jumping down and beginning the long run to Trini’s house.

By the time she finally reached Trini’s neighborhood, Kimberly’s lungs were burning and her muscles ached.  She slowed to a walk and wiped the sweat from her brow.  It was late fall, so the weather was thankfully cool.  When she reached Trini’s house, she shifted back and forth in the yard under her window.  Was this a stupid idea?  Maybe.  Either way, she had to do this.  She took a running leap, landing almost noiselessly on the roof.  She grabbed tightly onto Trini’s windowsill and peered in.  Trini was lying on her bed, though she didn’t seem to be asleep.  Good.  Kimberly took a deep breath before knocking, heart leaping into her throat as she saw Trini leap into a fighting stance.  She forced herself to wave when Trini noticed her, and tried desperately to calm her breathing as Trini unlocked the window to let her in.

She’d hoped that Trini would say something, _anything_ , but once Kimberly was in the room, Trini just stared intently at the floor.  They stood in silence for a minute, almost daring the other to speak first, before Kimberly finally gave in.

“Not even gonna look at me, huh?” She asked, voice shaking.  Trini looked like she might respond, but when she still didn’t, Kimberly decided to keep going, “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I mean, I didn’t really mean to like _kiss_ you kiss you, but still.” Oh god, she was rambling.  She prayed that Trini would interrupt her so she could stop embarrassing herself. “What I’m trying to say is that I know this is all my fault, and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I might have ruined our friendship with my stupid actions, which seems to be something I’m really good at these days…” She let out a small, bitter laugh.  She really shouldn’t be going down _that_ path right now. “Anyways, you don’t have to forgive me. I just needed to tell you that.” Kimberly had to go now or she’d start crying again.  She’d said her piece, now it was up to Trini to decide what happened from here.  Kimberly moved back towards the window, stopping when she finally heard Trini’s voice.

“It’s not your fault,” Trini said.  Kimberly’s eyebrows furrowed as a few tears broke free.  She definitely hadn’t been expecting _that_.

“What?” She asked.  She must have heard wrong.

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I couldn’t keep my stupid feelings to myself, and I made things weird. I thought you’d be mad at me.” Wait, did Trini say _feelings_? Kimberly shoved that to the side for the moment.

“Well you certainly made things weird by avoiding everyone.” Kimberly wiped at the tear tracks on her cheek. “Why would I have been mad at you though? I was the one who kissed _you_.”

“Well you wouldn’t have if i hadn’t stupidly turned my head at the last second.” Trini was seriously blaming herself because of _that_?

“But you didn’t do it on purpose, that was an accident!” Kimberly whisper-shouted (she probably would have actually shouted if Trini’s family wasn’t just down the hall).

“Well so was _accidentally_ kissing me!”  

“Well, maybe I didn’t want it to be an accident!” Trini’s mouth dropped open in shock.  Had Kimberly just said that out loud? Oh god. She reached a hand up to cover her mouth, as if she could somehow put the words back.  She looked away from Trini, settling her gaze on the floor as she sighed in resignation. No going back now. “Shit. I didn’t mean to tell you like that. Actually I wasn’t sure if I was _ever_ going to tell you, but I would have hoped that if I _did_ , I’d have been a little bit cooler about it or something.” She crossed her arms defensively, ready to bolt out of the room again, when Trini responded, voice quiet and tentative.

“Maybe… Maybe I didn’t want it to be an accident either.” Kimberly couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Really?” She asked, taking a small step towards Trini, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile.  Trini nodded, cheeks flushed. “Well that’s good. Because I really _really_ like you.”

“You… You _like_ me?” Did Trini seriously not believe her?  Well, Kimberly would just have to prove it then.  She inched closer and tucked a loose piece of hair behind Trini’s ear.

“I do. And I’m really sorry.” Kimberly knew it was cheesy to use that same line from back when they first met, but she thought it would be pretty cute.

“Sorry for what?”

At that, Kimberly took a deep breath, moving her hand to grab lightly onto the back of Trini’s neck to pull her closer.  She leaned in and closed her eyes as her lips pressed against Trini’s.  At first Trini didn’t respond, and Kimberly almost pulled away until she felt hands grabbing lightly onto her hips. She honestly felt like she was flying, as cliche as that sounds (But she actually had experience flying in what was essentially a fighter jet, and thought it was a pretty fitting comparison).  She pulled away reluctantly, resting her forehead against Trini’s and sighing softly.  

“Is that… Was that okay?” Kimberly asked, opening her eyes.

“Yeah,” Trini smiled, her voice quiet, “ Yeah, it was more than okay.” Her face turned pensive for a moment, “Does this mean we’re dating or something?”

“It can if you want it to.” Kimberly definitely wanted it to, but she needed to make sure Trini felt the same.

“I do.”

“Good.” At that, Trini leaned up to kiss Kimberly again.

When she pulled away this time, Kimberly reluctantly began to head towards the window, realizing that it was about time she headed home.

“I should probably get going. It’s pretty late.”  She felt Trini grab onto her wrist, stalling her.

“You can stay if you want?” Trini asked nervously.  Kimberly nodded and followed Trini to the bed, slipping off her sneakers and climbing under the covers.  

“This seems a little scandalous, don’t you think?” Kimberly couldn’t help but joke as Trini cuddled up against her. “I mean, we only _just_ started dating.” That earned her a half-hearted swat from Trini.

“Shut up and go to sleep.” Kimberly just laughed and pulled her closer.

 

***

 

Kimberly felt so warm and comfortable the next morning, or at least she _did_  until someone decided to shake her shoulder in an effort to wake her.  Grumbling in irritation, she tried to bury her head further into the pillow.

“Come on sleeping beauty, time to wake up,” Trini whispered in her ear before giving her a soft kiss.  Okay, now she was definitely awake.  Kimberly opened her eyes to see Trini smiling amusedly at her.

“G’morning,” Kimberly mumbled sleepily

“Morning.”  

“So that wasn’t all just a really awesome dream then?” Kimberly asked, suddenly remembering everything that happened the previous night.

“Guess not.” Trini laughed.

Kimberly leaned in to kiss Trini, rolling so that she was on top of her.  Trini smiled into the kiss before abruptly pulling back.

“Kim." She kissed her again, "Kim, come on, we’ve gotta go to school.” Kimberly glanced over to the clock beside Trini’s bed.  It was still pretty early, so she wasn’t worried.

“ _You_ started it,” Kimberly replied smirking before leaning down to kiss her again, “Besides, we’ve still got time.” She bit down lightly on Trini’s lower lip and tugged gently, causing Trini to let out a soft whimper before pulling away again.

“I’m serious Kim,” she whined, “You still have to go home and change, unless you wanna keep wearing your same dirty clothes from yesterday.”

“Well,” Kimberly pretended to think about it for a moment, “I could just wear _your_ clothes.”  

“My clothes are probably too small.” Trini rolled her eyes, though her face was beet red.

“Are you calling me fat?” Kimberly feigned offense.  

“No, I’m calling myself short. And no-” Trini pointed at Kimberly accusingly, “-that is _not_ an open invitation for short jokes.” She glanced nervously towards the doorway, “Now seriously, you’ve gotta go. My mom could come in any minute now, and I don’t think she’d be very happy to find you _on top_ of me!”

“Alright fine.” Kimberly pouted.  She pressed one more kiss to Trini's lips before getting off the bed.  She had the window open and was ready to climb out when she felt Trini’s hand on her shoulder.  As she turned around, Trini leaned up to give her a quick kiss goodbye.

“See you later,” Trini whispered.

“See you later” Kimberly echoed before climbing out the window and jumping down to the yard below.  She couldn’t stop smiling the whole way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading (And double thank you if you read both this AND the first one)! I can't say I'm not glad that I'm finally done with this one, though I did enjoy writing it most of the time. The best part about it though was hearing back from you guys, so an extra special thank you if you left comments or kudos!

**Author's Note:**

> If you'd like to come chat with me about Power Rangers and whatnot, you can find me on Tumblr under the same username! I don't post my fics there because several of my irl friends follow me and don't know that I'm writing Power Rangers fic (maybe I will in the future though).


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